Surviving Through Identity Shift: An Expression Of Complicated Grief In Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys

Authors

  • Ms. Jemima Joshuin T Author
  • Dr. G. Arul Selvi Mariya Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64252/xabd6p72

Keywords:

Post-traumatic stress disorder, complicated grief, phases of grief, identity shift, trauma.

Abstract

Trauma because of racial oppression is very common in African American Society. The segregation through Jim Crow Laws and its adverse effects on children are brought in the paper. The paper tries to focus on the incidents that happened in Nickel Academy while mass protests for equality happened outside the school gate. The brutality faced by colored boys traumatized their whole life by altering their psyche towards life. The paper will deal with the different types of trauma and how the protagonist copes with it. The paper tries to unravel the effects of complicated grief in witnessing corporal punishment, unjust death of dear ones and discrimination. It also focuses on post-traumatic stress disorder in the behaviour of the surviving protagonist. The four phases of coping with grief from attachment theory by John Bowlby and the importance of witnessing by Dori Laub will be explained in detail.

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Published

2025-07-02

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Surviving Through Identity Shift: An Expression Of Complicated Grief In Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys. (2025). International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 154-159. https://doi.org/10.64252/xabd6p72